JP · Fukushima Prefecture · 37.33°N 139.86°E

ouchi-juku

Thatched inns on an old mountain road, with soba eaten using a spring onion.

Best time
May and October–November are comfortable for walking. January–February brings snowy roofs and the snow festival, but colder, slower travel.
How long
Half a day, or 1 night
Getting there
Fly from KL to Tokyo (about 7 hours). Take the train to Aizu-Wakamatsu (about 3 hours), then the Aizu Railway to Yunokami Onsen (about 40 minutes) and a 15-minute taxi or seasonal bus up to the village. Japan is an hour ahead of KL.
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JP · Fukushima Prefectureouchi-juku37.33°N 139.86°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Thatched inns on an old mountain road, with soba eaten using a spring onion.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingOuchi-jukuJP, Fukushima Prefecture
KLouchi-juku
≈ 5,437 km from KL, as the crow flies
This is a photo of the main street in the village of Ouchijuku in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. I took it with a digital camera on 12th November 2006.

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Geomr~commonswiki assumed (based on copyright claims). · CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

A former post town on an old Edo-era road, where about 30 thatched houses face each other across one wide street. Most are now soba shops and souvenir stores, but the street still looks much as it did 200 years ago.

Makan

  1. Negi sobaSoba eaten with a whole spring onion instead of chopsticks, taking a bite of onion in between.Map ↗
  2. ShingoroPounded rice grilled on a stick and coated in sweet miso.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. The main streetThatched houses on both sides of the old road, with water channels running past their doors.Map ↗
  2. The lookoutSteps at the top of the street lead to the classic view down over the roofs.Map ↗
  3. Townscape exhibition hallA restored post house with old hearths and travel gear from the Edo period.Map ↗
  4. TonohetsuriWeathered riverside cliffs and a hanging bridge, a short drive away.Map ↗

Good to know

  • There's no station in the village. Book the return taxi from Yunokami Onsen or check the seasonal bus times.
  • On the second weekend of February, the snow festival lines the street with lanterns.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.